


The First And Last Of The Great Witch Kings

by pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos



Category: Original Work
Genre: Multi, and I wrote chapter 1 in like october, anyways enjoy lmao, idk how to tag this just take it, it has lesbians, it has like one white guy, it has trans people, it has witches, listen, this is something that has been living in my head for nearly a YEAR, what more could you want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28877718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos/pseuds/pleasesupplymewithyourwahoos
Summary: Welcome To Verdad y Virtud, a town full of history, community, and a certain magic all it's own. Freddie Green is the new kid on the block, and being rich, white, and completely out of his element, he has a lot to learn. What's with the portrait in the attic of the Reyes house? What is going on with the Reyes family? What's the deal with Victor Reyes, and what kind of conditioner is he using to keep his hair that silky smooth? And just who, or what, is the White Snake?Find out in 'The First and Last Of The Great Witch Kings'
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	The First And Last Of The Great Witch Kings

**Author's Note:**

> hi hi hi this is like a project i've been holding in my brain for a WHILE and i finally had the courage to post a version of it! enjoy!

Upon first glance, Verdad Y Virtud is a simple looking town. It has a long river shore, scenic mountains, and the streets are littered with small houses and smiling faces. A nice normal place where you could bring your grandparents for retirement. Frederick Green, known to his friends as Fred, Freddie, and, on one notably cringy occasion, F-Dog, used to think like that too. That’s where he was headed on the day our story began. Or at least, his version of this story. 

  
In reality, Verdad Y Virtud is anything but a normal town, and it’s story starts long before he or you were even born. The town was founded in the early 1520’s, some 15 years after Beatriz Reyes, her son, Enrique Reyes, and their travel companion landed in what would become modern-day Mexico. Enrique Reyes went on to marry a woman named Odina. Odina Reyes was hugely influential amongst the local Atakapa population, and eventually, she, her husband, and several of their followers decided to travel north until they found a beautiful strip of land along the Cimarron riverside, perfect for a settlement. Odina and Enrique wanted to found the city based on the values that they held and wanted to spread through their family, and so Verdad y Virtud or ‘Truth and Virtue’ was born. They established schools, hospitals, and even local government.

On August 30th, a little over 500 years later, Fred was being driven from New York, all the way to Odina and Enrique’s settlement. To his dismay, he found that cross-country road trips were ‘long as hell’, so he took it upon himself to do some research on V y V. He was pleasantly surprised to find V y V’s peculiar history. Particularly, he thought it nice that Odina Reyes got to have some power in her lifetime and he certainly hadn’t heard of any other  _ mestizo _ families making a name for themselves in APUSH.

Then again, Fred hadn’t been paying much attention in APUSH. Or in Math, Science, English, Spanish, or any class really. It was why he ended up in Verdad y Virtud on the first day of senior year. __

‘Is it even a first if you’ve already done it once before?’ Fred wondered as they drove through the empty streets.

He wasn’t particularly pleased with his situation. He had everything, back in New York. Sure, he may not have had the best grades but he commanded respect! The boys feared him, the women wanted him, and everyone wanted to be him. But, oh no, just because he skipped a few classes here and there and ‘showed no comprehension of basic arithmetic’, he got shipped off to live in Nowhere, New Mexico, and had to repeat his senior year in public school! Public School!

‘It’s unjust!’ He thought to himself. He supposed it was one of the downsides to having rich parents. 

Fred’s family had their own… interesting history. In the 1850’s, Zackariah Green had taken advantage of the low prices of machinery and established 3 small factories in Albany. Over the years, the family grew his business and by 2018, with the help of some well-placed Apple stock, Samuel Green, Fred’s father, was one of the richest men in America. Fred thought the whole thing was overrated. He may have been ‘rich’ and ‘white’, but he certainly wasn’t happy. His family had a reputation, and apparently, Fred didn’t uphold it well enough.

As soon as he stepped into VV High, he knew that he was out of his element. Maybe it was just a new kid thing, maybe it was a rich kid thing, but there was an air to the whole town, a sense of life and energy that Fred had never felt anywhere before… And in VV High, that sensation got cranked up to eleven.

He walked through the halls, he could feel everyone’s eyes following his back. Fred couldn’t help but shrink into himself. If he was back home, he’d be high-fiving and fist-bumping his buddies, laughing with his friends, and charming the cheerleaders. Here, he could hardly make it to his locker without cowering under their stares. Fred took a deep breath and opened his locker.

“Hey there!” A chirpy voice called, and Fred nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned to see a tall girl smiling up at him. From the spiky leather jacket, to the embroidered skirt brushing gently against her ankles, to say she stood out in the crowded hallway was an understatement. She also creeped him the fuck out.

“Welcome to Verdad Y Virtud!” She said, still beaming. If she wasn’t so unsettling, Fred would’ve said she was cute. “I’m guessing you're the new kid?”

“That’s me.” Fred answered, giving her a strained smile, still not entirely sure whether or not to engage.

“I thought as much,” She chuckled, “We don’t get many new kids, we’re a tight-knit community, y’know?”

“Uh-huh…” He hummed, slowly closing his locker. “And you are…?”

“Oh, my bad!” She held a hand out to me. “I’m Esperanza Reyes, but my friends call me Espe! I’m your unofficial guide to V y V.”

Fred grinned and took her hand. “Freddie Green, but you can call me anytime.”

For a couple of milliseconds, her smile faltered, but she continued nonetheless.

“Well, it is lovely to meet you. Now, why don’t I show you around?”

She led him down the halls, one arm linked in his, chattering away the whole time.

“Verdad y Virtud High is a pretty old institution. The first version of it was founded by Odina Reyes in the 16th century. We have a long and proud tradition of upholding and passing on her values to every generation after us. You’ll be in my grade, the class of 2024.” She gestured to one of the many portraits lining the walls. 

“Wait so, you’re also Reyes?” He asked, as the gears shifted in his brain. “Like, Odina and Enrique Reyes?”

“The very same.” She smiled, fidgeting slightly with her necklace. Freddie took a second to really look at it then, a simple, lacy, choker, with a single opal hanging off it. Fred didn’t know why, but staring at it for too long made him lightheaded.

The Reyes’ family history was much more complicated than the Green’s. For one, no one was entirely sure how they stayed so rich. None of them really left Verdad y Virtud, and they certainly didn’t take up any jobs in the town. The family was notoriously reclusive, staying cooped up in that old villa on the cliff overlooking the riverside. Well, most of the family. 

Esperanza’s mother, Nina Reyes, had been quite the social butterfly, beloved by most of the townsfolk. She was particularly loved by Espe’s father, a musician who’d come to Verdad Y Virtud unexpectedly. But he died only a few hours after Espe was born. Her mother would often tell her stories of him, his old guitar lying on her bedroom wall. Nina’s school portrait lined the halls as well, her face smiling down at Espe from the Class of ‘84. 

In her childhood, it seemed her mama and  _ tios _ always had ‘family business’ to deal with, so Espe spent the first 7 years of her life with her cousins, Victor and Eduardo. Her mother eventually remarried and had Espe’s younger sister, Beatriz Reyes el Trecero. Alas, it seemed destiny did not have a happy family in store for the Reyes children, as both Espe’s mother and step-father died two years later. Damian Reyes, Espe’s abuelo, took Espe, Bea, and Victor away from the rest of their family and they made a life for themselves in the town. Espe often thought of Eduardo, the brother she left behind, but there was nothing she could do… unless…

But this story isn’t about Espe’s brother. Not yet. This story isn’t about Freddie and Espe either, who were still walking down the halls of V y V High, but they do seem more relevant, no?

“So, your family stayed in Verdad and Virtood for 400 years?” Fred said, incredulously.

“Verdad y Virtud.” Espe corrected, “And yes.” She stopped to hold the door to the field open. “Take my word for it, most people who come to Verdad y Virtud never leave.”

“Oddly cryptic,” Fred mumbled as he stepped through the door.

On the field, a bunch of kids were running laps and doing stretches. A couple were shooting goals, and practicing footwork. Fred realized that this must be the school’s soccer teams.

“Our teams are some of the best in the whole state,” Esperanza declared, smiling proudly at the players. One of them, a tall dark-skinned girl, caught her eye and waved happily. Esperanza giggled and waved back. The soccer girl said something to her team and the coach and ran over to Esperanza, arms wide.

“Xime, no hugs!” Esperanza squealed, pushing the girl back with one hand, before kissing her gently on the cheek. “You’re all sweaty!”

“You’re so cruel to me.” The girl whined, before turning to Fred, who’d been standing awkwardly by Esperanza’s side. “Oh, you must be the new kid.”

“Fred, this is Ximena Torres,” Esperanza said, as Ximena shook my hand. “Captain of the V y V soccer and basketball teams.”

“What happened to world’s best girlfriend?” Ximena joked and Esperanza shot her a half-exasperated, half-fond look. If Fred wasn’t terrified of her, he would’ve said it was adorable.

“After you shower, babe.”

“So, Fred,” Ximena said, “You play any sports? You look like you’d be a hell of a sprinter.”

“I, uh, played polo at my old school?” Fred replied, puffing up his chest up a little. 

‘I was pretty darn good at it too.’ Fred thought. But Ximena and Esperanza seemed unimpressed, so he quickly added, “But I’m open to trying new things?”

  
“That’s cool.” Ximena smiled, “It’ll be good to join an extracurricular, make some new friends, that sort of thing.”

“Ey yo, J.T!” One of Ximena’s teammates called, “You gonna quit flirting and get changed?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Xime.” Esperanza said, patting me on the back. “Now, you better go shower before you’re late to class, ‘k?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ximena rolled her eyes, reaching for Esperanza’s hand as she walked away. “See you in English?”

“If you move quickly!” Esperanza called as she led me back into the building.

“Ok,” Fred finally asked, as they walked down the hallway to the art rooms. “How much of that was to show me the sports stuff and how much of it was for the girlfriend?”

“About 50/50.” Esperanza smirked, and Freddie could only feel a little hurt.

“Well, for the record, I wouldn’t have said anything if I’d known.” Fred said. He was a flirt, not a monster. “You guys are a cute couple.” Esperanza chuckled.

“Thanks.” She opened the door to the art studio, waving at the teacher as she walked. “This is the art classroom. We have a pretty good arts program here, so if that’s your thing then you’re in good hands.”

_ Yeah, _ Fred thought bitterly,  _ that’s the problem, wasn’t it? _ Fred didn’t have a ‘thing’, so to speak. Well, he did, but he didn’t think goofing off constituted as a ‘thing’. Maybe that was why things hadn’t worked out back home, what good could he do if he didn’t know what he was doing?

“Hey,” Esperanza laid a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly, “You ok?”

He plastered his trademark Green smile back on. “Yeah, of course!” Fred smirked, giving her a little fake-bow, “Shall we continue?”

Esperanza seemed uncertain but walked nonetheless.

“This is the band room, we have a choir, a band, and a strings section.” She picked up a violin and gave Fred a little twirl. “I play with the folk quartet. Xime does guitar, and Jieun, who I know is hiding behind the piano, does cello.”

A short girl popped up from behind the piano. “Keep it down! Sra. Jimenez is out for my blood!”

Esperanza only rolled her eyes as she helped her friend up. “Fred, this is Jieun Wang, and yes, she’s always like this.”

“I resent the implications of that statement.” Jieun huffed “To answer your questions, in order, yes I also go by Jenny, my grandparents moved here in 1967, I’m in your grade and yes, Espe is very creepy, you’re not crazy.”

“Rude…” Esperanza huffed, crossing her arms.

“Jokes on her,” Fred whispered to Esperanza as Jieun, or Jenny, he supposed, walked away. “She got 2 and 3 backwards.”

~+~

This story isn’t about Frederick Green or Esperanza Reyes. This story is not about Ximena Jefferson-Torres either, who was making her way from English to Chemistry, when she saw Frederick Green sitting alone in the lab.

She sat next to him, and tried to make him feel welcome. They bonded over their lack of expertise in the subject, and Xime made a mental note to get Espe to introduce Fred to Espe’s brother. They spent the rest of the class sharing stories. Fred told her about his life in New York, his rich friends, his illustrious polo career. If Ximena found it slightly off-putting how self-centered all his tales made him seem, she didn’t say anything.

Instead, she told him about life in Verdad Y Virtud. How according to Ximena’s mom, Xime once tried to propose to Esperanza on the playground when they were little, because she was ‘the prettiest girl in the whole wide world!’. How Espe had joined high school a month or two late with no friends, and how Ximena had befriended her right away. How she fell in love with her in the next two months, how they kissed behind the bleachers on Easter Sunday, how they’d go get  _ helados _ from Sr. Rodriguez’s little cafe on Fridays and spend the rest of the afternoon walking by the river and watching movies with Espe’s siblings… But of course, that isn’t relevant to our story.

This story isn’t about Victor Reyes either, who sat in his lab, examining a crystal closely. This story isn’t about his youngest sister, Bea, who leaped up the stairs and laid her head on his shoulder as he worked.

“Victor…” She whined, “ _ ¡Quiero jugar! Puedes trabajar luego _ .”

“ _ Basta, duendita _ .” He teased, ruffling her hair. “Maybe later? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“But you’re always doing something.” Bea protested. “And Espe’s doing school stuff, and I’m lonely-y-y.”

“ _ Lo siento _ ,” He kissed the top of her head lightly, “Gimme five minutes? I just need to jot this down.”

Beatriz nodded before running down the stairs. Victor turned back to his crystal, watching the light hit the edges, and pass through the little cracks. The dark rock cast out an oddly bright glow, with little rainbows skirting across the desk as Victor looked at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Espe, leading some kid by the arm through the cafeteria, Ximena at her side.

“Well, that’s new.” He muttered, writing something down in his notebook. “Welcome to V y V... Freddie Green.”

~+~

“So,” Jieun asked around a mouthful of her sandwich, “What brings you to Verdad y Virtud?”

Freddie froze, glancing at Espe nervously. She was the one who’d dragged him to lunch with her friends. He sat opposite from her, next to Ximena. On her other side, sat Jieun, next to her was Xime's younger brother Simon, and his friend Catalina. Espe shrugged, semi-apologetically and Fred cleared his throat.

“Well,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I wasn’t doing so well in my school in New York, and I took a gap year. After that, my dad thought it might help me to learn in an environment free of… distractions. So, he sent me here.”

“Huh,” Jenny said, before diving back into her sandwich. Freddie blinked in surprise. Of all the things he’d been expecting, that was not it. He’d thought he’d get questions or jibes, but he just watched as Simon and Espe chatted happily about the new strings line-up. But of course, our story isn’t about the school's new cellist’s either.

~+~

This story isn’t about Mateo Ruiz either, who passed by Bea and Victor as they walked down Marigold Lane. He waved at them good-naturedly and Bea called him a bobo. She was definitely one of his best friends.

He rode down to the Plaza by the riverside and tossed newspapers over the gates of every house he saw. There mustn't have been a single person in Verdad y Virtud who didn’t subscribe to his father’s newspaper, the VV Gazette.

Except, there was a newspaper hurling itself towards his head at alarming speeds, and before Mateo knew what was happening, he found himself lying on the sidewalk, his hands and knees bloody. In the back of his mind, he could hear someone calling his name. He looked up to see Espe jogging towards him, with a white guy he’d never seen trailing behind her.

“Mateo!” She kneeled by his side, brushing off his head, “Oh  _ pájaros y serpientes _ , are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Espe!” He beamed up at her.

“This is why I insist you wear a helmet!” She scolded him, “Can you imagine what would’ve happened if you hadn’t? What would your father say?”

Esperanza had been like this for as long as Mateo could remember, ever since the day she’d first found him on the river bay. He’d been standing with his feet in the water when he’d heard her.

_ “What are you doing?” The girl yelled at him from the pier. “You shouldn’t be near the water!” _

_ Mateo hadn’t thought much of it. He was an idiotic kid, and she wasn’t much older than him anyways, what did she know? _

_ “My mama said I could play near the pier.” He replied, crossing his arms over his chest. _

_ “Well, your mama was misinformed.” The girl huffed, jumping down to stand next to him. Mateo did think it was weird that she could just jump from a height of 6 feet, but it could be personal, so he didn’t ask. _

_ “Nuh uh!” He argued, “My mama’s the smartest person in the world!” _

_ “Well…” She paused, before declaring smugly; “My mama’s a bruja!” _

_ Mateo gasped in horror, “No!” _

_ “Yuh huh.” The girl smirked, “And she told me that no one should be in the water today.” _

_ “Why would you listen to a bruja?” Mateo asked, curling up on himself, trying to act like he wasn’t scared. The girl seemed taken aback, and she patted him on the back. _

_ “Don’t worry, she’s a nice bruja!” She reassured him. He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, he felt the Earth shaking under him. _

_ “Uh, Miss...?” _

_ “I’m Esperanza.” She smiled down at him. _

_ “Ms. Esperanza…” He said slowly, “Is the… ‘that’ why your mama told you not to go into the water today?” _

_ Esperanza looked confused, before her eyes blew wide, and she grabbed Mateo. _

_ “Get behind me!” She yelled, hugging him from behind. He braced himself on the ground, and behind him he heard a gigantic wave crash onto the shore. _

_ “How-?” _

_ “Just stay down!” He looked up and saw the water rising over and around the two of them, staining the rocks and the sand as it receded. It disappeared for a second, before coming back again, stronger and bigger. After a few minutes, he couldn’t hear the water anymore. _

_ “Is it-...” He peeked over Esperanza’s shoulder. “Is it over?” _

_ “I think so…” She replied uncertainly, “How old are you?” _

_ Mateo held up 4 fingers and she gasped. _

_ “You shouldn’t be out alone!” She scooped him up in her arms and carried him up the rocks onto the pier. “Who are your parents?” _

_ “My papa runs the Gazette?” Mateo offered, and Esperanza nodded. _

_ “That would explain it, Sr. Ruiz is always so preoccupied.” She smiled at him softly, “How about we head home?” _

_ Mateo nodded happily, and they walked down the street hand in hand. _

But of course, our story isn’t about that. Our story isn’t about Mateo or Espe or Freddie, even if they are walking down the path that will lead us to it.

“My father would be confused!” Mateo whined, “Why would someone throw back the Gazette?”

“Oh, that must’ve been Gustav.” The tall red-head said. “He’s probably on alert y’know, what with possible attackers and all.”

“I’m sorry,” Mateo cut in, as Espe rolled her eyes. “But, who are you?”

The boy held out his hand and Mateo took it. “Freddie Green, I’m the one moving into Number 24.” He winked at Mateo, “I’m kind of a big deal.”

“Well, so is my papa’s newspaper.” Mateo protested, and Freddie frowned, “You shouldn’t just throw it at people!”

“Well, I’m sure Freddie will be sure to tell his…?” Espe began.

“Butler.” Freddie replied, and Espe blinked twice.

“His ...butler, that he’s subscribed to the Gazette, and to not throw it at innocent little boys anymore, right Freddie?” Espe turned to Freddie, expectantly.

“I-” He started, but cowered under Espe’s gaze, “Yeah, sure.”

“Great!” Mateo beamed. He tossed the newspaper to Freddie and kissed Espe on the cheek before hopping back onto his bike. “Bye Espe! Bye New-Guy-Freddie!”

It only occurred to him later that they hadn’t had a new guy in Verdad y Virtud since Espe moved out of the Reyes Manor, and that Espe’s hair certainly looked greyer than before, but he pushed those thoughts away.

‘After all’, he said to himself, ‘This story isn’t about them.’

~+~

Freddie’s first month in Verdad y Virtud was actually going pretty smoothly. Something was clearly wrong.

“Freddie, what are you talking about?” Xime nudged him on the shoulder, as they had their lunch on the bleachers.

“I’m serious!” He said, defensively, as Espe and Xime laughed. “So far, we’ve had perfect weather, everyone is either nice to me or ignores me, and I haven’t completely failed my classes! No place is that perfect!”

“Maybe, you’re just getting better at making friends?” Espe offered, taking a sip of her coffee, “You were kind of a jerk when you came here.”

“Excuse you,” Freddie replied, feigning offense, “I’m still a jerk.”

Espe giggled. “True.”

“Oh, screw you!” Freddie chuckled, “I’m serious! Back in New York, I-”

“Used to be adored by all?” Xime teased.

“Had 24 cart gold sneakers?” Espe added.

“Dated all the cheerleaders?”

“Owned 12, no, 20 horses?”

“-I’d always be getting into trouble.” Freddie continued, ignoring the snickering couple. “Something always goes wrong! I mean, at this point I’m practically expecting fire to fall from the-!”

“Look out!” One of the kids on the football team yelled, and Xime tackled Freddie onto the ground, as a blazing ball of light flew over their heads.

“...sky.” He finished, looking at the horizon in disbelief.

Freddie always considered himself an imaginative kid, ok? He had imaginary friends when he was little, he used to write books about space pirate cowboys, the whole shebang. But even he found it a little hard to believe his eyes.

In front of him, at the edge of the field, stood a 17 or 18 foot tall mass of burning rock. He watched in horror as hot liquid seeped from the cracks in it’s skin, sending the kids around it running and screaming.

“Shit.” Espe muttered, turning to Xime. “You’ve got your brace?”

Xime nodded, holding up her arm. On her wrist was her silver cuff, and for the first time, Freddie looked, really looked, at the gem at its center. It looked eerily similar to the opal hanging on Espe’s neck.

“Wait, you guys aren’t seriously going to go out there are you?” Freddie demanded, “It’s literally raining fire!”

“Not for long…” Espe smirked, before leaping out from the bleachers and... casting a small ring of light in front of her. She hopped from one to the other, before she was above the back of the ‘things’ head.

“Hey!” She yelled, “Hot, sour and ugly!” The monster turned around to face her, growling slightly, it’s fists (?) burning just a little hotter. “Yeah that’s right! You looking for this?” She gestured to her opal, glowing gently under the sun. “Come and get it!”

The monster cried out as it jumped for her legs. She dodged just in time, and the flaming fist crashed into the field. Espe pulled what looked like a circle of ice from inside her hand and flung it towards the monster. Freddie watched, as if in slow motion, as the disk flew towards the monster, growing larger as it flew, and embedded itself in the monster’s spine. 

He turned to Ximena to ask for something, anything, except she wasn’t next to him anymore. He looked up to see her floating (floating!) overhead, carrying one of the tanks of water from the roof of the gym to where Espe had pinned the monster. The monster cried out as steam poured from the place where it’s skin met the ice, and when Xime poured the water over it’s head, it froze as it fell onto the disk. The monster let out one last, long, wail, before it was completely covered in ice. Espe ran her hand over over the monster’s face, looking almost pitiful, before flicking it once and watching it crumble at her feet into a million tiny specs.

And for a moment, there was silence in V y V High. A hundred children watching as a pillar of flame fell to its knees, and mourning. And then, Freddie heard the children hollering and whooping, clapping Espe on the back and high-fiving Xime as they went back to their lives, as if the monster had never been there. The only thing that could have told you of its existence was the rapidly melting pile of snow in the middle of the field. Espe cleared her throat and sat back down next to Freddie, who was still shaking behind the bleachers. Xime handed her girlfriend her book, and turned back to her lunch. Freddie stared at them in disbelief.

“I- You-!” He exclaimed, and Espa looked at Xime sheepishly.

“What the fuck was that?”

~+~

This is not a story about lava monsters. Neither is it a story about Fuegerosos, which is the official term for lava monsters, coined by Augusto Reyes himself. This is not a story about him, nor is it about his grandchildren, or his brother, or any of his family. It is not a story about the boy who carried newspapers through town, the girl who kept a knife under her pillow, or the redhead who moved into 24 Marigold Lane. 

This is a story about a Raven and a Snake.

Augusto Reyes cursed under his breath as the image of Esperanza Reyes disappeared from the fireplace in front of him. Another day, another beast, another failure. The Snake shifted slightly behind him, cool air against his neck, teeth sharp even in it’s apparition.

“It’s the Raven.” He said.

“I know.” Augusto replied, coldly.

“You must take it back.”

“I know.”

“You’re getting weaker, Augusto.” The Snake chided, curling itself around the Reyes patriarch till they stood face to face. “Every passing day, Damian’s heirs grow more powerful. If Odina’s heir finds her relic and the young one comes into her power-”

“That won’t happen.” Augusto grimaced, his nails digging into his desk.

“The prophecy-”   
  
“-Is a load of nonsense.” Augusto snapped. “I am the Patriarch of this family, I wear you upon my hand, I am in control!”

“Yes, but for how long?” The Snake laughed, coldly, “You can only manipulate a relic you are not connected to for so long. If you don’t get creative, and soon…”

“Then the age of the Last Great Witch King will be upon us…” Augusto muttered bitterly, “I know.”

“It has already begun.” The Snake trilled. In it’s cool green eyes, Augusto could see them reflected. Victor and Esperanza in the kitchen, Bea sliding down the staircase rail, the Girl reading on her phone, and the Boy, looking out of his window like a lost puppy. “They will come for you sooner than you expect, Augusto. The only question is, will you be prepared?”

Augusto knew he didn’t have a choice.

Across town, the Kings were dancing. The Snake rolled out a small cookie heart, the Raven threw flour on her brother’s face, and the High King laughed. The Knight drew her sword and began to sing. The Prince picked up a newspaper, and began to read. And this, my friend, is where our story really begins.


End file.
